Governance
If you require any further policies, please contact citymoves@citymoves.org.uk
Citymoves Board of Directors & Trustees
Chair - Anna HeintzeÂ
Experienced and benefits-focused financial professional with extensive leadership skills in various roles covering day-to-day operations, material management, HR, and transformational change management methodologies in a career spanning over 30 years in the oil and gas industry. Expertise in Finance, Business Processes, ICT and Project Lifecycle Management. Worked in the Middle East, Africa and various European Locations. More recently, I held the position of Finance & Business Manager at the Aberdeen FC Community Trust for 20 months during the challenging period of the COVID-19 pandemic event.
Joined the Citymoves board of trustees in March 2019 as Board Trustee and Chair of the Finance Committee and in December 2021 elected as the Chair of the Board. Speaks fluent German, French and Swedish and basic knowledge of Arabic and Russian. Art and Music, in particular, have always been part of family life as they travelled and lived in Africa, Asia and Europe and welcomed the opportunity to join the board of trustees in March 2019 to re-discover her enthusiasm for the arts.
Vice-Chair - Rhianne Benger
An advocate for the creative arts and their value to professional development, Rhe spent over twenty years of study and an early career in dance and performance. Curious to explore her experience in different environments, she developed skills in various sectors, including human rights charities, membership organisations, and professional services. An empathetic leader, she has strengths in managing high-performing teams, leading people through change, and guiding workplace equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Originally from South Wales and raised in the Northwest of England, Rhe holds an MFA in Choreography from Roehampton University and a BA (Hons) in Dance and Culture from the University of Surrey. Outside work, she continues her dance and performative writing practice and is also a Trustee for a Mental Health charity in Essex.
Head of the Finance and Resources
Farooq Ahmad
"Farooq has vast experience of teaching, research and course leadership at the higher education sector in the UK. His area of specialisation is corporate finance, international finance and term structure of interest rates. As course leader, Farooq has been involved with international professional bodies in the field of accounting and finance for the accreditation of courses under his leadership. Farooq has published in leading academic journals in accounting and finance and has been a research fellow at the State (Central) Bank of Pakistan. Farooq has also delivered finance modules in MBA programs in Finland, Kazakhstan and Algeria. Farooq’s hobbies are travelling, watching history and playing tennis. Farooq speaks four languages (commonly spoken in Pakistan/India) and an active supporter of social, charitable and developmental movements/bodies".
Ed Walton
Ed is Deputy Head Teacher at Fraserburgh Academy, Aberdeenshire. Ed has a background in Drama, Theatre and Film and has worked in this field in Aberdeen and the South West of England since 2001. Ed brings expertise to the board on Child Safeguarding; Scottish Curriculum; Leadership; Improvement Planning; Qualifications & Education Partnerships. Ed also sits as a Governor for Robert Gordon University.
Alison Brodie
Alison is a producer, project manager and artistic programmer. Currently Creative Producer with Curated Place, she devises, curates and produces art-led creative interventions, festivals and professional development across the UK and internationally. With a background in theatre and opera she has worked across UK large-scale touring, international fringe circuits and ground-breaking participatory opera. She has a track-record in delivering complex, multi-stakeholder projects for local authorities, arts charities and commercial producers in traditional arts spaces, as well as site-specific or public-realm events and installations. Originally from Fife, she studied Politics at University of Strathclyde, and worked in England for 10 years before relocating to Aberdeenshire in 2019.
Linzy McAvoy
Linzy is an experienced dance artist and arts manager that is knowledgeable in; community engagement, fundraising, artist development, education and partnership working. She is a former development manager at Citymoves who also taught extensively on the studio and outreach programmes. Linzy retrained as a primary teacher in 2019 and is currently studying a Masters in Learning and Teaching in the Arts at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She is part of the Scottish Primary Dance Teachers Network and is passionate about the value the arts can have within the education sector.
Lesley Thomson
Lesley has 25 years experience of working in local government, most recently as Cultural Policy and Partnerships Manager at Aberdeen City Council. During this period, she managed a team responsible for the relationships between external cultural organisations, artists, trusts, national arts organisations, Scottish Government and Creative Scotland. She managed the Council’s investment of £3m in culture, creative grants, Creative Scotland Place Partnership, cultural events and established an annual programme of events including SPECTRA, Look Again, Granite Noir and Creative Spaces. She was responsible for the development of Cultural Policy and Strategy, the role of arts in community planning and for capital projects developed by Aberdeen City Council and partners.
Lesley continues to be actively involved in the arts through printmaking, painting, literature and her Board Membership of Citymoves and Peacock Visual Arts.
Scott Styles
Scott Styles is a senior lecturer at the University of Aberdeen School of Law. Scott joined the faculty after holding lectureships in private law in the universities of Edinburgh and Dundee. His interests are Jurisprudence, Commercial Law, Oil and Gas Law, and the Scottish Legal Tradition.
Board Chair Call Out
About Us:
Citymoves Dance Agency is a thriving, dance development organisation. It was established in 1987 as part of Aberdeen City Council and became a charity in 2015. We work with participants from 0-90yrs+ in our studios, community centres, nurseries, schools, outdoor spaces, early intervention spaces, care homes, galleries, libraries, and theatres. Citymoves exists to improve individual lives and transform communities through dance. We identify a need in communities and tailor projects to support. We do this by listening to individual stories, co-designing projects with communities and collaborating with cultural partner organisations. Citymoves has four distinct pillars underpinning all activities: Community, Dance Health, Education and Professional Pathways. Citymoves receives both Creative Scotland regular funding and Aberdeen City Council core funding in recognition of the organisation's role in leading the dance sector in the North East of Scotland, for its community programming, and in recognition of the key role it plays in the dance industry in Scotland, the UK and internationally. With both bodies currently reviewing its funding allocations for future years, this represents an exciting challenge for the future of dance in the North East.
Position: Chair of Trustees
Location: Aberdeen or the surrounding areas, with hybrid options available.
Term: 3 years, with the ability to be nominated for two terms inclusive.
Remuneration: The role of the Chair or Trustees does not include financial remuneration, although reasonable travel expenses can be claimed.
Time commitment: 4 quarterly board meetings per year and 1 in-person strategy day In Aberdeen. The time commitments can vary but rarely exceed 1 or 2 days per month.
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Reporting to:
Board of Trustees Board of Trustees The Citymoves Board of Trustees are accountable for the charity's fair governance and ensuring its mission and vision are achieved. They partner with the CEO, who is responsible for the charity's operational day-to-day running. The Role The Chair leads the Board of Trustees, ensuring that all trustees fulfil their duties and responsibilities for the charity's effective governance. The Chair will also support and provide guidance to the CEO to ensure that the Trustees effectively empower the Citymoves team to achieve its goals and objectives and continue its positive impact on the local community.
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Responsibilities
• Provide leadership to the Board of Trustees, ensuring effective charity governance.
• Work closely with the CEO and core team to set the strategic direction and guide the implementation of our strategic plan. • Act as an ambassador, attending events as appropriate and fostering relationships with key stakeholders and voices in the local and Scottish arts community.
• Ensure the charity’s financial stability and sustainability through effective oversight and sustainable fundraising efforts.
• Lead the recruitment and development of trustees, ensuring a diverse and skilled board.
• Provide pastoral support and guidance to the CEO, empowering their leadership of the charity and professional development. Behaviours
• Demonstrate a strong and visible commitment to the Charity and its objectives.
• Strong inter-personal and relationship-building abilities
• Demonstrate tact and diplomacy, with the ability to actively listen and engage effectively.
• Ability to foster and promote a collaborative team environment.
• Ability to commit time to conduct the role well and overview delegation of work to other Trustee to meet project timelines. Experience
• Experience in a senior or strategic leadership role.
• Strong understanding of charity governance, the role of a trustee and chairing meetings.
• Broad knowledge and understanding of the arts and cultural sector and current issues affecting it, particularly in Scotland and in respect to funding.
• Strong and inclusive leadership skills, able to motivate and support others.
• Financial management expertise and a broad understanding of charity finance issues
• Good understanding of charity governance issues.
• HR experience would be advantageous but not essential.
Citymoves Dance Agency is committed to diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from all backgrounds. Applications are accepted in the written word, as video files, audio recordings.
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If invited to interview all candidates will receive questions in advance.
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Whilst we have outlined skills, we believe are helpful for succeeding as the Chair, if you have different experience that does not perfectly match what we have shared but you feel you could excel in the role, please get in touch to have a conversation.
How to Apply:
Please email us at citymoves@citymoves.org.uk with your CV and why you are interested in applying for the role. Please confirm in your email that you are not disqualified from acting as a charity trustee.
If you wish to have an initial call to discuss the above roles or have any questions, please contact us at citymoves@citymoves.org.uk (Hayley Durward, CEO), or call 01224 984159 Closing Date: Friday 24th January 2025